Battle of Battles
by Hirosikata
Summary: There was a point when the war that they had been fighting had become unwinable. And now, as her friends were dying, she was wondering how she would ever live for the next day. Songfic to Into The West. ZukoKatara hints. [complete]


Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender or the song Into The West. All credits for the song go to Annie Leenox.

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Battle of Battles

A One-Shot

By Hiroshikata

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There had been battles, and then there had been _battles_. Death seemed to scream around the two opposing forces as friends fell into its clutches. Fire sprung, evaporating Water, growing wilder by Wind, and couldn't be contained by Earth. Hope was falling for those on the side of the Airbender. The Fire Lord would soon take over the entire land and there was nothing that could be done to stop him. Katara found herself scourging one of the many battlefields for survivors. There were none. There was despair. And she knew that her hope was lost, no matter how much she wanted to believe in Aang. There was no chance for this to stop. There was no way to stop the Fire Lord.

**Lay down,  
your sweet and weary head.  
Night is falling.  
You have come to journey's end.**

As swiftly as she could with her injuries and bare feet, she made her way back to camp. They had been hit hard in the battle. There was no chance that they would recover. Clutching her mother's necklace, she plunged headlong into the crowd around the Avatar. She needed to speak with him. But, when he saw her soot-filled face, her torn clothing, the blood seeping from her wounds, he turned away. He was embarrassed. He was embarrassed that he had entered a world with a war he couldn't win. He felt as though he should have stayed in the ice burgh. She was ashamed of him. He who was once her friend now had no place in her heart. He didn't know what to do, so instead of following his heart, he asked those with no clue as to what they were doing, and he failed miserably. So many were dead because of his mistakes. And as much as she had once wanted to believe him, she now knew she couldn't. And, when she looked out at the struggling warriors, she knew that this was the beginning of the end. There was no chance for them.

**Sleep now, and dream  
of the ones who came before.  
They are calling,  
from across a distant shore.**

She was awoken from her dreams. Her nightmares. Sokka. He always wanted to protect her. Just now, she had begun to think that he realized he couldn't. He told her to get dressed. He told her that she was going away. She wouldn't have to live in this nightmare. But, the Fire Nation catches up to everything. It searches, and then destroys. Anything in its path is disposed of. Instead of listening to him, instead of leaving the war grounds, she looked upon the rising sun. And she heard the voices of those who didn't believe in the cause. Those who knew there was no hope for them. But, they still fought, so she supposed that there had to be something for them here. With one final glance, she had turned her attention to the man-made lake in the middle of the encampment. And despite how her abilities urged to be stretched out, she felt no reason to bend. She had failed.

**Why do you weep?  
What are these tears upon your face?  
Soon you will see.  
All of your fears will pass away.  
Safe in my arms,  
you're only sleeping.**

Tears stained her face. Another battle. More loss. But this one had taken away more than another life to her. This one had taken away her brother. This one had left her dead inside. She didn't see Aang. He was hiding in his tents. He couldn't face the embarrassment of another failure. He couldn't face the people that had once trusted him. She was embarrassed for him. She was embarrassed that she had once cared for him. He was only a pawn in this game of power. He didn't even fight anymore. So much had happened in the two years since she left home, and not for the better. Wind blew around her, creating a sort of barrier. Like the strong arms that used to hold her, but not now. Now everyone was dying.

**What can you see,  
on the horizon?  
Why do the white gulls call?  
Across the sea,  
a pale moon rises.  
The ships have come,  
to carry you home.**

It was against her wishes, but Sokka had begged her to go. He begged her to leave. And now that he was dead, she felt that she had to honor his wish. Many people were leaving. Mostly women and children, but there were a few others. Looking towards the boats that lined the bay, she wondered how far they would actually get or where they would go. It was all so chaotic. And she looked towards the sky. Fire red, a passion and an enemy. Blood would be spilled. The Fire Nation would see to that. Anyone who defied them died. It was a horrible thing. And she cried every night because of it. The call of the sea was almost too much for her. It didn't matter if she died on the water. She loved it so. It would be better than death on the land, for a cause that was dying swiftly.

**And all will turn,  
to silver glass.  
A light on the water.  
All souls pass**.

The storm that the ship had hit was hard. The crew worked to overcome it. They plunged into waves bigger than anything than she had ever seen. They were bigger than anything she could control. Children screamed. A world of darkness was coming and there was no light at the end of the tunnel. People raced trying to get the ship under control. It was an impossible feat. Darkness. Cool darkness surrounded her.

**Hope fades,  
Into the world of night.  
Through shadows falling,  
Out of memory and time.**

Time was no longer something that she knew about. It was no longer something that she cared about. She was struck by hunger. Her mouth burned. Her arms hurt. She wondered if this was the illness. She wondered if she was going to die from it. She wondered, but she never allowed the thought to manifest in her mind. Light seemed like darkness. Colors lost meaning. There was no speaking, so she remembered no words. Death. This had to be death. Willing, she raised a hand. Or she thought she did. She had lost all feeling in her body. She forgot how to move.

**Don't say,  
We have come now to the end.  
White shores are calling.  
You and I will meet again.  
And you'll be here in my arms,  
Just sleeping.**

Sunlight. It was something that she now knew. Her eyes cracked open. She was home. Or, at least she thought she was. As she got up, she was met with seeing someone familiar in the corner of her room. It was a pretty room, too pretty to be her own. Zuko and his scarred face. Her love for him, his love for her, it had been their downfall. When he died, she knew that the war would be lost. When Sokka screamed and shouted and said that she loved an enemy, she knew it was true and didn't deny it. When Aang killed him, thinking of him as an enemy, she cried and told him he was stupid. His eyes seemed to say that it was not her time. She wouldn't pass on. She would live. She had to live. And when she was done living, she would meet him at the end. She tried to warn him, to tell him that she might return old and withered, but that didn't seem to matter, he said that he'd love her any way she was.

**What can you see,  
on the horizon?  
Why do the white gulls call?  
Across the sea,  
a pale moon rises.  
The ships have come,  
to carry you home.**

And she awoke to a world that wasn't hers. It was barren and dead. It made her long for home; she longed for her world. Days passed. Then weeks. There was no sign of life anywhere. But, she learned to survive. And every day she would watch the sea and wonder how it could be so cruel. And, one day, she saw a ship. And then, on a completely different day, she was home. And it was like she never left. Perhaps it was all a dream, perhaps not. She would never be sure. Unaffected. That was the proper word for it. This world was unaffected by the turmoil caused by fire benders, by the Fire Lord. Sokka greeted her with open arms. As did many people. Her mother. Her father. Aang. And Zuko. It made her smile. It made her laugh. It made her happy.

**And all will turn,  
to silver glass.  
A light on the water.  
Grey ships pass  
Into the West.**

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A/N: I hope that you like it. I think that it was alright and definitely one of my better songfics. If there was anything that you felt should be changed, please tell me!


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